Rewards

Billionaire Warren Buffett’s venture into the energy utility business continues its focus on the lower-risk, steadier rewards inherent in prudently operated public utilities while passing on his Midas touch to a growing stable of companies, including PacifiCorp, Northern Natural Gas Co. and MidAmerican Energy Co., according to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P).

The number of energy companies who have the financial and credit stability to carry out trading transactions on their own has plunged sharply since the collapse of Enron Corp. more than a year ago, causing more and more companies to look toward third-party clearing organizations to bear some of the risk and help restore confidence in the markets, said a Morgan Stanley executive Wednesday.

Potential rewards for improved disclosure of company operations and finances can revitalize investor confidence, leading to higher valuations, less stock price volatility, more long-term investment and a lower cost of capital, according to a survey of natural gas and oil producers and investors by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Before the prolific but unexplored deepwater basins offshore Nova Scotia can be tapped, the players will have to ask themselves what comes first: the chicken or the egg? Or, in energy terms, will there be gas wells or pipelines first? To answer that question and overcome the considerable challenges in the region, producers and pipeline operators will need to work together establish a regional infrastructure before production actually can begin, an industry executive said Tuesday in Houston.

Acknowledging its significant improvement in company performanceand shareholder value in the past year, Equitable Resourcespromoted Murry S. Gerber to chairman of the board of directors lastweek. Gerber has served as president and CEO since joiningEquitable in 1998.

Acknowledging its significant improvement in company performanceand shareholder value in the past year, Equitable Resources haspromoted Murry S. Gerber to chairman of the board of directors.Gerber has served as president and CEO since joining Equitable in1998.

In an effort to capture the rewards and pass along savings madepossible by performance-based rates, NIPSCO Industries and its newaffiliate, Bay State Gas, are combining gas supply operations. Thetwo LDCs, which became sister companies when NIPSCO parent NIbought Bay State in February, expect to save as much as $1million/year through combined portfolio management, according toone source.

In an effort to capture the rewards and pass along savings madepossible by performance-based rates, NIPSCO Industries and its newaffiliate Bay State Gas are combining gas supply operations. TheMidwest and New England LDCs manage firm loads of about 500 MMcf/dand most of that will be procured on the daily spot market in thefuture, said NIPSCO’s Dan Gavito, vice president of corporate gassupply.